The Tools Palette

The Tools palette is located above the Objects palette by default (see Figure 34.1), though depending how you like to work, you could separate the Objects palette from the Tools palette (as shown in Figure 34.2) by clicking the Separate Palettes button at the bottom-left of the Objects palette. Click the same button again to put the Objects palette back with the Tools palette. The Tools palette contains the following seven tools used to edit web pages. You can use the shortcut key (the letter in parentheses) to access the tools; note that many of the same shortcuts are used in other Adobe products, such as Photoshop and Illustrator:

Standard Editing tool (S):
You use the Standard Editing tool the most; this tool is selected by default. Use the Standard Editing tool to edit your web content and to select and edit text.

Object Selection tool (V):
The Object Selection tool makes it easier to select objects on your web pages, such as images, layers, tables, and frames. The only thing you can't select with the Object Selection tool is text—use the Standard Editing tool for that.

Layer tool (F):
The Layer tool enables you to draw and position layers on a page.

Grid Text Box tool (Shift+F):
The Grid Text Box tool is located in the same position on the Tools palette as the Layer tool. Click and hold the Layer tool to reveal the Grid Text Box tool or press the shortcut key (Shift+F) to select it. Use the Grid Text Box tool to draw and position text boxes on a layout grid.

Eyedropper tool (I):
Use the Eyedropper tool to pick up a color from text or any object on your web page.

Zoom tool (Z):
Zoom in and zoom out on specific areas of your documents. This Zoom tool works like all Adobe Zoom tools. Click and drag to draw a box around the area you want to zoom in on, hold down the Option key (on a Mac) or the Alt key (in Windows) as you drag to zoom out. Double-click the Zoom tool in the Tools palette to return your page to 100%. You can also zoom in and out using the + and – buttons at the bottom of the document window or choosing a magnification value from the Zoom Values menu at the bottom of the document window.

To access the Hand tool when you have any other tool selected, hold down the Control-Option keys (on a Mac) or Ctrl+Alt keys (in Windows). You can click and drag after the Hand tool is selected to move your work inside the window. This approach is especially helpful when you've zoomed in to the page or when your web page is wider than the document window.

Hand tool (H):
When your document is larger than the document window, use the Hand tool to move the work around inside the window.